Sergio Leone

Filmmaker

Born: 3 January 1929

Died: 30 April 1989

Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Best known as: Italian director of movie westerns

Born into a famous Italian moviemaking family, Sergio Leone made a name for himself in 1964 with his second feature film, Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars). The movie and its two sequels were international hits, and they made a star out of Clint Eastwood. Leone's 1969 feature, C'era una volta il West (Once Upon A Time In The West) was heavily edited by its American studio and was a failure at the box office, but was later restored and hailed as his masterpiece. His last completed film was 1984's Once Upon A Time in America.

Extra credit: Because of their Italian heritage, Leone's movies are often called "spaghetti westerns."